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Monday, January 7, 2013

Fantasy Funkhouser: Baseball Ranks for 2013 - Round 1

Miguel Cabrera has shown he is a very worthy #1 fantasy pick. (bustasports.com)

Fantasy Funkhouser will review all things Fantasy Baseball. After all, life is a small sample size.
As promised, Fantasy Funkhouser is back and more focused than ever. Without the week to week format of a football schedule, I'm not sure how this will develop, but what better way to start talking about fantasy baseball in January than with some pre-mature ranks?

Last season was a great one for fantasy baseball. Big time stars emerged, and there is a lot of things to look forward to and questions to be answered in 2013 about these budding stars. The most obvious star that probably won you one or multiple fantasy leagues is Mike Trout. That tends to happen when the #1 player in fantasy was either among the last players drafted or completely undrafted. Not since Jose Bautista have we seen someone fly out of nowhere to have the impact of a Texas-sized asteroid on a collision course for earth in fantasy baseball. The guy put on a show for the ages, and he was so good it's led people to question not whether Trout will slump this year, but rather is it even humanly possible to get any better than his rookie season?

While I don't expect Trout to fall off the map, the lack of track record, surprising power (which may not stick), as well as a crazy high stolen base percentage make me hesitant to take him #1. I've listed him as my 3rd ranked player, but I'd be content with anyone in my Top 5.

Miguel Cabrera and Ryan Braun have clearly and consistently show they are fantasy stars. Miggy's move from 1st to 3rd last season means he'll only have 5 eligibility this season, but that's good enough positional value that I'll give him a nod over Braun.

Now that we've settled that, most of my list is pretty par for the course. I do have two pitchers in my Top 12, which is due to their near invincibility on the mound, playing for good teams, and that a lot of other position players have a lot of questions around them. Enough that as I write this in January, I'm not ready to dive in with the Troy Tulowitzkis and Justin Uptons of the fantasy realm.

The only solid declaration I am ready to make is that I think Joey Votto is going to have a gigantic year. He appears to have gotten over his knee injury that hindered him last year, and with a lead-off man in newly acquired Shin Soo-Choo, I can see Votto taking his 2nd NL MVP in 2013. He's a ridiculous hitter and with a newly focused value on glove work by the MSM, I think it's a great bet. Matter of factly, I should check out the odds on sportsbook.ag.

So, here we go. The first list, sure to be updated, extended, and ultimately wrong.